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Daytime napping is a common, heritable behavior, but its genetic basis and causal relationship with cardiometabolic health remain unclear. Here, we perform a genome-wide association study of self-reported daytime napping in the UK Biobank (n = 452,633) and identify 123 loci of which 61 replicate in the 23andMe research cohort (n = 541,333). Findings include missense variants in established drug targets for sleep disorders (HCRTR1, HCRTR2), genes with roles in arousal (TRPC6, PNOC), and genes suggesting an obesity-hypersomnolence pathway (PNOC, PATJ). Association signals are concordant with accelerometer-measured daytime inactivity duration and 33 loci colocalize with loci for other sleep phenotypes. Cluster analysis identifies three distinct clusters of nap-promoting mechanisms with heterogeneous associations with cardiometabolic outcomes. Mendelian randomization shows potential causal links between more frequent daytime napping and higher blood pressure and waist circumference.

Original publication

DOI

10.1038/s41467-020-20585-3

Type

Journal article

Journal

Nature communications

Publication Date

02/2021

Volume

12

Addresses

Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Keywords

23andMe Research Team, Myocytes, Cardiac, Humans, Cohort Studies, Sleep, Blood Pressure, Adult, Aged, Middle Aged, Female, Male, Waist Circumference, Genome-Wide Association Study, United Kingdom, TRPC6 Cation Channel, Cardiometabolic Risk Factors